This Woman's Work
by uzumakisunspydr
Summary: She's Having a Baby" Naruto style. Sonfic, oneshot, thing, to Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" Deep and Fluffy Read, Review, And Enjoy


**A little peek into the future. Songfic… one-shot… thing… to Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work". One of my favorite songs, very powerful. It can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. I chose one of the more literal ones. If you want to hear the music, go here:www .com/watch?v=_NRdA0ST4Zg**

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

_**Pray god you can cope**_

_**I stand outside this woman's work**_

_**This woman's world**_

_**Ooh, It's hard on the man**_

_**Now his part is over**_

_**Now starts the craft of the father**_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Naruto….Naruto, wake up."

"Mmmph," he groaned as a finger poked him in the side. "Too early, way too early. Five more minutes, sensei."

"Wake up. It's about that time."

"Time for what?" mumbled a still mostly asleep Uzumaki Naruto.

A finger poked him in the ribs again, playfully. "What do you think?"

He pulled the quilt up around his head and started to roll over. Then froze. He rolled back over and cracked open an eye and looked at his wife of two years.

His heavily pregnant wife.

"Huh?" He bolted upright, now completely awake. At least physically. " Time? What? Really?"

Uzumaki Sakura giggled a bit as she watched him leap out of bed, stumble on the blanket tangled around his legs, recover with his usual cat-like agility, and start dashing around the room. Aimlessly. She enjoyed the show for a bit before she took pity on her hyperventilating husband.

"Naruto, the contractions just started. Calm down, we have awhile."

He stopped and looked at her, wide eyed and panting, shaggy blond hair falling over his eyes. "What! You could have told me before I gave myself a heart attack. I thought it was coming here and now!"

" I needed some entertainment. This is the best I could get at five in the morning."

He glared at her half heartedly. The glare turned to concern as Sakura grimaced slightly. "What, there's another one? Already? That's it, were going to the hospital!"

"Would you believe me when I tell you we have a while." She smiled at him reassuringly. "Just chill….." Her voice trailed off as she grimaced again. When the contraction was over, she frowned. "Okay, that was quick. Maybe we don't have that much time after all."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Naruto felt a growing alarm as he watched Sakura focus through another contraction. He was really regretting letting her talk him into reading all those books on child birth now. Being prepared had sounded like a good idea at the time, but now they were only making him paranoid. But the contractions did seem to be coming too often. "Sakura, come on. Let's head to the hospital." He put a look on his face he knew she couldn't resist." Please?"

Sakura looked at him, a slight frown working across her face. "That may not be a bad idea. This kid of yours is coming fast."

He helped her to her feet, and she took one step before trying to double up in pain. Her legs started to buckle, but Naruto caught her and eased he back onto the bed.

"Naruto, something's wrong," Sakura grunted. "This isn't going the way it should." She held a green glowing hand over her stomach, but it quickly faded out. "Damn, I can't hold the concentration. Ahh!" She moaned and started to thrash slightly.

Naruto knew what he had to do. His reactionary instincts were starting to kick in. He quickly summoned a clone. " Go wake up Tsunade-baachan and tell her to meet us at the hospital! Tell her there's a problem!"

"Right!" The clone took off out the door. Naruto, however, was going to take a more direct route.

Naruto reached down and scooped Sakura up in his arms, quilt and all, and leapt for the window. Their small house was inside the Uchiha neighborhood and clear across the village from the hospital. Naruto took to the rooftops and pushed his body to its limits. He practically flew. Nothing else but speed was going through his mind. It didn't matter that the early morning air was chilly, and he was only wearing a tank top and the loose pants he had been sleeping in. It didn't matter that he was barefoot, and gravel and jagged metal was cutting the bottoms of his feet.

Sakura moaned again. The pains seemed to constant now. "Naruto, it hurts. It's not supposed to hurt this bad. It hurts." She was almost delirious. This was all happening too fast!

"I know baby, I know, just hold on, we're almost there. It'll be all right." He hoped he was telling her

the truth.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

_**I know you have a little life in you yet**_

_**I know you have a lot of strength left**_

_**I know you have a little life in you yet**_

_**I know you have a lot of strength left**_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Shizune had a pretty good idea what was happening when she woke to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. Next to her, Genma stirred. "Whazat?" he muttered.

"If I had to take a wild guess, I would say that Sakura's gone into labor and Naruto's freaking out."

Genma snorted into his pillow as the pounding went on. "Isn't he overreacting just a bit?"

Shizune quirked an eyebrow at her husband. "Like you can talk. I know for a fact that you became completely unhinged when Kenkou was born."

" How do you know that? If I remember, you were a little busy at the time."

"Trust me, there were witnesses."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go calm the kid down before we end up needing a new door." Genma fended off a pillow swat and started to go back to sleep as Shizune made her way to the front door. To her surprise it was not Naruto, but the young Chuunin assigned to Tsunade.

"Shizune-san, Hokage-sama wants you to meet her at the hospital right away! It's Sakura-san!"

Shizune's heart seized up. "Ok, tell her I'm on my way." The chuunin sped off as Shizune tore back to the bedroom to grab a robe and her sandals. "Genma, I've got to go, it's Sakura, but something's wrong."

Genma shook himself awake as she stepped on him to get to the closet. "Oof! Oh. Damn. I hope it's not too bad. I'll get Ken up and fed and off to pre-school then head over. Naruto might need some company."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

_**I should be crying but I just can't let it show**_

_**I should be hoping but I cant stop thinking**_

_**Of all the things I should've said**_

_**That I never said**_

_**Of all the things we should've done**_

_**That we never did**_

_**All the things I should've given**_

_**But I didn't**_

_**Oh, darling make it go**_

_**Make it go away**_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Shizune arrived at the hospital just as the sun was peeking over the top if the ridge. Tsunade was waiting by the door, hair pulled back in a loose tail and green robe hastily thrown over her shoulders. She went and joined her sensei and oldest friend in her vigil. They didn't have long to wait. A minute later Naruto launched himself off a nearby roof top and landed heavily in front of the door, a quilt wrapped bundle clutched in his arms. He rushed over to them, and Shizune winced when she saw Sakura's pale, sweat soaked face.

Tsunade didn't waist any time. "Bring her this way, quickly. I have a room and a team standing by."

Naruto simply nodded and followed her, with Shizune bringing up the rear. She stopped when she saw the bloody foot prints her adoptive brother was leaving behind him. "Naru-?" But he had already followed Tsunade to where the team was waiting with a gurney. He gently eased Sakura onto it and started to follow them down the hall, when he was stopped by a firm hand in the middle of his chest. He looked into Tsunade's eyes incredulously.

"Naruto, you have to stay here."

"But-"

"You'll just be in the way. Stay here and wait."

"No! No, Baa-chan! I'm not leaving her!" Naruto started to brush past her, but she stood firm.

"Naruto, calm down! I don't even know what's wrong yet. Let me go check, and I promise to come tell you. I'm not going to leave you in the dark. I promise."

Shizune took one more look at the agonized Naruto as she followed Tsunade down the hall to the delivery room where the team had been running their diagnostics. One of the medics handed Tsunade a chart, and her lips thinned when she read it. She wordlessly handed it to Shizune.

"Go tell Naruto , then come back. I'm going to need your help on this one."

Shizune took a second to control her emotions while she read the chart, before she went back to the figure in the hall who was still standing exactly where they had left him. This was going to be hard.

" Naruto, we have to operate on Sakura right now. The baby is turned sideways, and its shoulder is caught. I'm not going to lie to you, it doesn't look good. Women and babies die from this, but you know we'll do everything we can, right?" Naruto nodded mutely, and Shizune's heart broke when tears started running down his whiskered cheeks. "I have to go back now, okay?" She gave him a quick hug. " Genma will come by later." And with that, she left him and rushed back down the hall.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0**

_**Give me these moments back**_

_**Give them back to me**_

_**Give me that little kiss**_

_**Give me your hand**_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Naruto didn't know how long he stood in the hall, letting his stunned brain assimilate all the thoughts going through it. Certainly enough time for his battered feet to start to hurt, not to mention stick to the tile, because when he finally did move, the pain was enough to make him swear. But he welcomed the pain in a way, as it did wonders on clearing his head a little bit. He hobbled in a semi-numb way to the waiting area and sat on one of the hard benches. He couldn't believe this was happening.

He remembered the exact second that Sakura had told him she was pregnant. It was afterward that things got a little hazy. He had drifted through the rest of the day as if in a dream. He was going to be a father. According to Baa-chan, he had come into her office, stood there with a huge grin on his face for several minutes while she had tried to talk to him, then walked out again. He had heard similar reports from other people throughout the day. And off and on for the past nine months.

And now that dream was crashing down around him.

He couldn't lose Sakura. His friends had no idea just how much of an anchor she was for him. All he had been through in his life, the death of loved ones, the pain and heartache of battle. Her friendship, and later, love, had been the one constant, one thing he could count on. Her vow to him at their wedding, to heal the hurts of the past had almost been redundant at that point, for she had already accomplished that long before.

Now, Naruto found himself wondering if he had done enough to repay that love. Did he tell Sakura that he loved her every day? Did he know when she was upset? Did he support her in everything she did? He was pretty sure he had, but now it didn't seem enough. It seemed like she helped him with his goals more than the other way around. There were so many things he wanted to tell her now that he couldn't. Why didn't he tell her before? A shinobi's life was often brutally short. Either of them could die at any moment. And what about his child. He would never be able to give it the upbringing that he had never had. How could he stand to lose someone who he had never met, but already loved?

His inner thoughts were interrupted by the shouts of the attendant at the front desk as a whirlwind in the shape of two kunoichi burst through the door. Hinata and Tenten glanced around, spotted him sitting on his bench, and ran over. They both had that "just back from a long mission" look about them, dirty and tired. Hinata took one look at his tear streaked face and threw her arms around him.

"We just got back from a mission and got home and Neji-niisan said he saw you take off across the village carrying Sakura and we got here as soon as we could but he couldn't come 'cause he was just leaving for a mission and he looked worried and-"

"Hinata! Put some commas in there somewhere, you're not making much sense," Tenten said to her best friend as she sat down on the other side of Naruto and leaned against him, adding a comforting presence. Naruto looked at her and gave her a wan smile. He and Tenten hadn't known each other very well for a long time, but had been thrown into contact through his friendship with Neji and Lee. Soon they had found that they had some common interests and started sparring together sometime. This had started a firm friendship between the two, as anyone who would volunteer to be target practice was okay in Tenten's book.

Hinata had always been there for him, though it had taken him a while to see it. She had been his staunchest supporter back when he hadn't had many. Though he knew she loved Kiba fiercely and unconditionally, he also knew that a very small part of her huge heart belonged to him, and always would. Naruto was very careful not to abuse that trust.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

"Shizune said something about the baby being sideways with its shoulder stuck."

Hinata's pale eye's widened. Naruto knew she had some med training, so evidently knew the implications of that information.

"It's going to be fine," Tenten stated confidently. "Sakura's as tough as they come. And besides, she had Tsunade-sama looking after her. There's no way anything bad could happen."

Naruto wished he had Tenten's confidence, but he did find himself feeling a little more hopeful. The three sat comfortably for a while. Hinata discovered Naruto's chewed up feet, and healed them over his protests that she was tired. Tenten just kept the gentle pressure on his side. But as an hour rolled slowly passed, his despair began to creep back in. If everything was just fine, why was it taking so long? He felt his eyes water and his breath catch in his throat slightly. No. He would keep it in, if only for his two tired friends trying to comfort him.

Naruto kept a handle on his emotions when Genma arrived, sat behind them and squeezed his shoulder in a reassuring way. He glanced back at his quasi brother in law and gave him the same wan smile he had given Tenten. He even held it in when his mother in law arrived, out of breath, tears streaming down her face, and embraced him. Hinata wouldn't leave him, so Tenten got up and took Hanako aside and gave her a rundown of what little she knew. They all continued waiting.

Another hour.

Naruto managed to keep his composure until he felt Tenten get up and someone else sit next to him in her place. A hand rested on his shoulder. He raised his face from where it had been buried in his hands for the past hour and met his brother's dark eyes. Shikamaru was standing nearby, as was Kakashi. With Naruto staying in or near the village for the past week in case Sakura went into labor, Shikamaru had joined Team Kakashi for a mission. The three had just returned home.

For some reason, seeing the worried expression on Sasuke's face just made him lose it right then and there.

"I can't lose her, Sasuke," he cried, his breath coming in ragged gasps. " What will I do if I lose them both? I'll be alone again. There's so much I haven't told her. What if I never get the chance to tell her how much she's done for me, how much she means to me? And my child? I'll never get to say anything to him."

"Naruto." It was a long standing tradition between the two of them that when one of them used first names rather than dobe, baka, or teme, they were being serious and the other should pay attention. Naruto listened to his deep, steady voice, holding onto it like a lifeline. "Naruto, she already knows. She knows you've always loved her. She told me once when it was that she started to realize how much you cared. It was the day we fought on the roof of this very hospital, when she jumped right in between your Rasengan and my Chidori. Neither of us could stop, she would have been killed if Kakashi hadn't stepped in. She said for the first time ever, you looked angry at her, and told her not to interfere. It wasn't until later, after she had a comparison for the expression on your face, that she realized that you weren't angry then, but scared for her. So she knows. No matter what happens, she knows."

Naruto just nodded. Sasuke was right about that day. She had scared him half to death. The only time that came close was when he had injured her while in four-tailed state. Sasuke gave him a stern look then." Any kid of yours is going to be too tough to go out without some kind of fight. And, no matter what happens, you'll never be alone again." He glanced around at all assembled.

This was a long speech for the quiet Uchiha, and Naruto knew it was Sasuke's way of masking his own concern, as well as comforting him. They sat quietly while everyone else was gaping. Evidently, they had just heard Sasuke string more words together than they had ever known him to. Only Naruto and Kakashi were unfazed. The Sasuke who appeared in public places was very different from the one that appeared when just with team or family. Naruto was glad for his brother's calm presence.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

_**I know you have a little life in you yet**_

_**I know you have a lot of strength left**_

_**I know you have a little life in you yet**_

_**I know you have a lot of strength left**_

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Pictures and memories kept intruding into Naruto's mind, all of his green eyed wife. He and Sakura taking Kakashi's bell test for the second time and seeing her chakra enhanced strength for the first time. The fierce expression on her face as she healed Kankuro, as if trying to fight death itself. Punching Sai for insulting Sasuke. The concern in her eyes as he woke up from going four-tails. Throwing herself into the raging waters of a tsunami to save a young woman, only to be swept away herself. The love in her eyes as they said their vows. The way she danced around the entire house after her pregnancy test came back positive. When she wanted to help him hang some colorful lights in the nursery when she couldn't even see her feet, much less the ladder. The pout on her face when he wouldn't let her get on said ladder. All these and more.

Another hour went by. Naruto would have been up and pacing himself into a lather if it hadn't been for Sasuke's steadying hand that he never removed from his shoulder. Kakashi was leaning against a pillar and had his book out, but didn't seem to be really reading it. Shikamaru was sitting against the wall with his eyes closed. The rest were arranged on the uncomfortable benches. Due to the angle of the hall, none of the group saw the medical team wheel a gurney out of the room and head for the elevator. They were all focused on Naruto and their own concern for Sakura. Soon they all became aware of a nurse walking briskly down the hall toward them. She stood in front of Naruto.

"The surgery is over and your wife's condition is stable. You can see her now. She is in room 201." And with that, the colorless woman walked away.

They all sat still, to stunned to move.

"Well, that was helpful, " said Shikamaru sarcastically. "Thanks for the info."

"But what about the baby?" Hinata whispered.

Naruto quietly got up, turned to his friends once, then walked down the hall and out of sight.

_**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**_

_**I should be crying but I just can't let it show**_

_**I should be hoping but I cant stop thinking**_

_**Of all the things we should've said**_

_**That we never said**_

_**Of all the things we should've done**_

_**That we never did**_

_**All the things that you needed from me**_

_**All the things that you wanted for me**_

_**All the things I should've given**_

_**But I didn't **_

_**Oh, darling make it go away**_

_**Just make it go away now**_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Naruto stepped soundlessly into the semi-dark room and his eyes went to the still form in the furthest bed. Making no noise, he moved quickly to stand looking down at his beloved wife. Sakura was sleeping peacefully, and Naruto knelt and put his hand on her chest just to feel her breathe. He glanced down at her midsection, where the bulge of their child had been just hours before. He looked around the dark room. There was no basinet, no incubator, no baby in the room. One of his worst fears was realized. Naruto felt tears run down his face as he looked back at the peaceful expression on Sakura's face. She had gone through this entire ordeal, all for nothing. He knew she would be shattered when she woke. He wasn't sure whether she would want to go through this again. He wasn't sure he could. He thought of the nursery at home. They had both put so much work into it. He would have to make sure all the baby stuff was put away before Sakura came home.

He was so sunk in grief that he paid no attention to the door sliding open behind him until he heard a noise that his brain couldn't immediately classify. He jerked his head around and saw Tsunade standing not too far away. In her arms was a small bundle making a soft gurgling sound. It was that noise which had alerted him. He stood and took a few stumbling steps toward her.

"Is that…you mean…?" The expression on Tsunade's face turned from pleasure to alarm as Naruto crashed to his knees, face buried in his hands. "When I came in, it was dark, and there wasn't a crib or anything, I thought…" And with that, he started to sob.

Tsunade rushed over and wrapped her free arm around his neck and pressed his head against her shoulder. He gripped the back of her robe in both hands and clung to her, shaking. "Naruto, Naruto, easy! I'm so sorry I scared you. I didn't know they had sent you in here yet. He was so cute that I had to go show him off. Yes, he's fine. The surgery took a lot out of Sakura, there was a lot of damage to repair, but she's going to be fine too."

Naruto buried his face further in her shoulder and let out a shuddering breath. He was startled out of his mood when she pulled away and a soft, wiggly, bundle was deposited in his arms. He instinctively cradled the baby, and they looked at each other in wide-eyed surprise.

Tsunade chuckled at the mirrored expressions. "Naruto, I'd like to introduce you to your son. There's definitely a family resemblance."

The baby did have blue eyes, but Naruto remembered reading that all newborns had blue eyes. Judging from the thin shock of hair, he was going to be a strawberry blond rather than a true blond like his father and grandfather. That probably came from both the Haruno and the Uzumaki sides, as Naruto knew his mother had had red hair. The baby stopped making noise, and to Naruto's amusement, while he had been studying his son, the kid seemed to be studying him back. There was a strangely intense look on the baby's face for someone who was only an hour old. Their staring contest was broken when a small bottle was shoved in front of Naruto's eyes.

"I'm surprised he hasn't made a complaint yet, but he's probably hungry, and Sakura's going to be out of it for awhile. Why don't you feed him and see if you can get him to sleep. I'm going to go get a crib." Tsunade walked quietly out of the room while Naruto slowly stood up and moved to sit on the edge of Sakura's bed. He leaned back against the head board and brought his feet up. Soon, all that could be heard in the room was the contented sounds of a feeding baby and Naruto's low voice.

"I can't wait until you wake up and see how beautiful he is, Sakura. He looks some like me, but a lot like you. His eyes are shaped like yours, though I think they are going to be blue. And guess what, no whiskers. You know, we never did agree on a name, we've been arguing about it for months. We're going to have to think up something soon, or Baa-chan is going to do it for us. You should see her with him. Kenkou's going to have some stiff competition in the favorite grandson department. Jeez, are you finished with that bottle already? You eat like me."

Naruto juggled the now sleeping baby around until he was secure in the crook of his arm, and looked down on his still sleeping wife. She and the kid had the right idea. It had been a hell of a morning. He took his other arm and gently worked it under Sakura's shoulders and brought her closer. She murmured slightly and lay her head against his chest. Jade green eyes opened for a split second, and a sleepy smile was on her face as she drifted off again. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming himself. His family was safe in his arms. For the first time that day, he could relax.

0o0o0o0o0o0

When Tsunade walked in a few minutes later wheeling a basinet, the small family was fast asleep. She started to rush over to take the baby, but stopped. He was secure and safe in the crook of his father's strong arm, and she knew that even asleep, Naruto wouldn't let anything happen to him. The slightest shift or noise would wake him up in an instant. He had his other arm wrapped around Sakura, who was now propped up against his side. Naruto's head had drooped to the side until his cheek rest against Sakura's hair. Tsunade was always surprised at how different he looked while asleep, now that Sakura had cured him of his nightmares. He had crashed out on the couch in her office several time after missions, and she always stopped what she was doing to watch him sleep. He was all wire, whipcord and energy when awake, but asleep his features softened, his body relaxed, and it was easy to forget he was the strongest shinobi in this village.

Tsunade slowly pushed the basinet next to the bed, then, remembering something, rushed back out the door. Soon she came back with a camera that Sakura had taken to keeping in her office. Tsunade snapped a couple of pictures of the cute scene before she left them to their sleep. There were some anxious people outside who she needed to reassure. They would want to come up to visit, but she would let the family rest for now.

All three of them had had a very hard morning, after all.

-------------------------------------

**Hope you enjoyed. I've been reading some really cute stories, and you know what? Fluff is contagious. Now that's out of my system, I can get on with my life and get back to my other stories.**

**I'm going to use the kid in some of my other stories, so throw out some names if you think of some good ones. Please? I can't think of one that suits right now. I totally suck at coming up with OC names. I will give full credit to the person who gives me a name I like. **

**This is your mission, should you choose to accept it. **

**Thanks, Uzumakisunspydr**


End file.
